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Neighbouring Sounds (O Som Ao Redor)

Feature Film | BR 2012 | 131' | Subtitled English

Brazil is booming. However, as the current wave of protests in the country demonstrates, the fault lines in society are not painted over in the process. NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS provides intimate insights into the world of the Brazilian middle class. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s masterful film direction gives viewers an almost physical feel of the fear and paranoia beneath the seemingly intact surface. In a block of apartment buildings in the coastal town of Recife, everything appears to be going as usual: a housewife tries to calm a neighbor’s barking dog, a housekeeper has an affair with a security guard, a porter is fired for sleeping on the job. Subtly, though, especially via its audio track, NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS conjures up a feeling of imminent threat. Only at the very end can viewers finally understand all interconnections and recognize the brutal secret hidden behind the facade of decency. One of the best debut films of the past decade.